Unite the Bodies
by BloodAvenger42
Summary: Aizen is no more and Soul Society is safe once again... But such peace did not come without a price. Genryusai Yamamoto has resigned and put Chojiro Sasakibe in his place and Ichigo has lost his memory. To add to the fact, a dark force hangs ominously overhead with nothing strong enough to stop it... Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Sequel to Count the Bodies. CH. 2 UP.
1. Chapter 1

**Unite the Bodies**

_"Oy! Quit wasting time you freaking dumbass!"_

_ "You will never be able to win."_

_ "Yare, yare, so innocent."_

_ "No! Let's stretch this battle to as long as possible!"_

_ "BAKA DON'T CALL ME A MIDGET!"_

_ "I-chi-go~!"_

_ "GOOD MORNING ICHIGO!"_

_ "Ichigo Kurosaki."_

_ "Ichigo..."_

_ "Ichigo."_

_ "ICHIGO!"_

A young man with bright orange hair and brown eyes shot up to a sitting position gasping for breath. His breath was ragged and he was sweating profusely dampening the sheets of his bed. After a calming breath he groaned when he saw his dampened bed.

_Oh c'mon I just changed these yesterday!_

The man sighed in exasperation before he threw the blanket off of him and swung his feet over the edge of the bed. He then rested his hands on his head trying to take the sleep out of his head as well as sort out what he had just dreamed about. So many people called his name, but he couldn't point out who they were nor remember the voices. Suddenly there was a soft knock on his door causing him to look up.

"Kurosaki-san?" called a soft voice from the other side of the door, "Is everything alright?"

Ichigo took a deep breath before putting on the best smile he could muster.

"Aa, I'm alright, don't worry about it, Momo," he said.

There was silence before Momo spoke up again.

"May I come in?" she asked.

Ichigo sighed. There was no deterring this girl.

"Sure, c'mon in."

The door opened to reveal a small girl with long dark brown hair pulled back into a bun and bright brown eyes. She was wearing a plain white kimono just like Ichigo. Momo walked up to Ichigo with a concerned look on her face.

"Kuros-," started Momo.

"Momo, for the last time, call me Ichigo," said Ichigo with a chuckle, "You know how I hate honorifics."

Momo frowned and puffed out her cheeks.

"But it isn't proper to do that!" she complained.

"Keep it down you dumbass, you'll wake the others."

Ichigo and Momo turned towards the door to see another man about Ichigo's age with bright red hair tied back into a pony tail standing there with a tired look on his face and in the same attire as Momo and Ichigo.

"Renji," said Ichigo with a smirk, "Not catching up on your beauty sleep I see?"

Renji simply held up his middle finger causing Ichigo to chuckle quietly while Momo stood on her knees with her hands on her hips.

"Abarai-kun! That's rude!" she chastised.

"Sorry Momo-kaa-san," chuckled Renji causing Momo to blush beat red.

Ichigo chuckled even more before he remembered the dream again and his mirth slowly subsided. Unfortunately the other two residents noticed this and immediately turned to him.

"Kurosaki-san… you know that we can feel what you feel… yes?" said Momo, "Although we don't know why, we still can."

Ichigo sighed and held his head in defeat.

"The dreams keep coming… I just heard voices of a past that I cannot recall," he muttered.

Momo immediately put a comforting hand on Ichigo's shoulder while Renji's annoyed look softened.

"How long have you been having this dream?" asked Momo.

"Ever since I woke up in that room at… what was that place called again?" asked Ichigo.

"Los Noches," supplied Momo.

Ichigo nodded gratefully.

"Aa, that's the place…"

Ichigo shook his head as he got up and walked towards the nearby window. Renji and Momo followed his movement but stayed where they were.

"I remember seeing her face when I asked her who she was… that pained look," said Ichigo, "It made me want to comfort her, but how could I do that to somebody I don't even know?"

Momo and Renji looked at one another before looking back at Ichigo. Ichigo continued on.

"What's more, you guys, me and all the others are being locked down in this place until they 'find out how to fix me'" growled Ichigo, "Like I'm some sort of broken clock or something!"

"Let's not forget that there are people walking around that look exactly like us, creepy," said Renji in an attempt to lighten the mood.

It only served to make Ichigo even more agitated.

"YES! That confuses me to no end as well!" growled Ichigo causing Renji turn and start slamming his head against the wall while Momo sweat dropped at the display.

Ichigo leaned his head against the cold glass of the window staring out into the night.

"What that woman told me… about how I'm supposed to be some kind of powerful Shintygampy or whatever they call it," said Ichigo.

"Shinigami you tard," grunted Renji.

"Piss off," retorted Ichigo before returning his attention outside, "But yeah… how can I be that powerful? Who was I before all this and why don't I remember… why _can't _I remember?"

Momo and Renji looked down at the floor with nothing to say that could comfort their friend. Technically they were going through the same dilemma especially after hearing about the fact that they along with a bunch of other bodies were supposedly one entity all administrated by Ichigo. Of course most refused to believe such an outlandish story, but a few were open-minded to it. One of them being Momo. Momo walked up to Ichigo and put her hand on his shoulder again.

"Kurotsuchi-sama, Sosuke-Tou-san, and Urahara-sama are looking into the matter as we speak," said Momo, "They'll find out what this problem is, I'm sure of it!"

Ichigo gave Momo a sideways glance with a withered smile on his face.

"I know, Momo," he said, "I should put some more faith in my friends… or if what those guys told us is true… in 'my whole self'."

"Che, I still thing that whole mumbo jumbo about us being many bodies with only one soul controlling us all as a whole load of B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T," grumbled Renji.

"My goodness, the pineapple can spell!" came a mocking voice.

The residents of Ichigo's room all looked towards the doorway to see a silver-haired boy with a foxlike grin and ever smiling eyes. He also wore a white kimono. Renji glared at the newcomer.

"Screw you, Gin," growled Renji.

Gin chuckled merrily before frowning a bit and turning to Ichigo.

"But in all seriousness ya better follow that advice… although I kinda agree with pineapple head over here in terms of ta bullshit," he said grinning at the last part.

Renji immediately started chasing Gin around the room yelling insults while Momo tried to calm the two down. Ichigo chuckled at this before turning back to look outside. Outside was desert-like landscape of Hueco Mundo as the ones that put Ichigo and his friends in here called it. Their "captors" for their protection built the building that they resided in in seconds just a few miles away from Las Noches. Here Ichigo and his friends were left while they went to solve his apparent "problem". It was a relief that they did not have to eat anything otherwise living here would have been miserable. Ichigo sighed before turning back to the others in his room only to almost face-fault when he saw Renji pulling the side's of Gin's mouth out as far as possible with Gin still trying throw jests out at Renji with Momo tugging at Renji's arm.

"Take that back!" growled Renji.

"Ei oe aa e," said Gin.

"Abarai-kun! Please let go of Ichimaru-san's mouth!" begged Momo.

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched at this.

"Guys…"

The trio continued to argue completely ignoring Ichigo causing his temper to rise even more.

"Guys…"

Momo seemed to notice Ichigo and immediately stopped, but guys continued to bicker. Finally Ichigo walked to his closet and took out a cone. As soon as she saw this, Momo plugged her ears with her fingers. Ichigo put the smaller end of the cone to his lips and shouted through it.

"ATTENTION ASSHOLES!" shouted Ichigo through the cone.

Gin and Renji immediately let go of each other in favor of jamming their hands over their ears.

"Argh! Damn it Ichigo are you trying to make us deaf?" growled Renji.

Gin simply massaged his ears with his foxlike smile never leaving his face. Ichigo put the cone down and smirked.

"Can you hear me now?" joked Ichigo.

"Loud and clear cappy," jested Gin in return.

"Good," laughed Ichigo before putting on a grateful look, "But thanks Gin, you're right, I should follow that advice… albeit strange advice, but good advice all the same."

Gin nodded with a smile of his own with Momo and Renji smiling with him. Ichigo nodded before suddenly grinning in a way that made the others a bit uncomfortable.

"Now can you all do me a _big_ favor?" asked Ichigo calmly… too calmly.

"E-Eh? What would that be Kurosaki-san?" asked Momo.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM!"

"Gomenasaaaaaaiiiii!"

SLAM


	2. Chapter 2

"And that ends my report."

"Good work, you are dismissed."

"Hai, Sotaichou."

The messenger left leaving Chojiro Sasakibe alone to his musings once again. Never in his life did he think he'd find himself in the position he was currently holding, yet here he was sitting in the same chair that his old sensei sat in for over ten centuries and wearing the title and haori of the Captain Commander of the Gotei 13. Chojiro already felt the heavy weight that the title carried and found himself wondering how his old master did it. Chojiro sighed.

_This position belongs to you… not to me._

Just as that thought passed through his head, Chojiro shook his head to dismiss it.

_No, Genryusai-sensei entrusted me with this role, and I will be damned if I let him down._

Chojiro was about to continue with his work when suddenly there was a knock at the door of his office causing him to look up.

"Enter," he said, trying his best to replicate the powerful voice of his predecessor, but alas nobody could ever truly replicate a voice such as Genryusai Yamamoto's.

Chojiro was not surprised to see the person who came through. The person bowed before him.

"Sasakibe-soutaic-."

"Retsu please, I've told you time and time again to call me Chojiro when we're alone," said Chojiro with a dismissive wave.

Retsu let off a knowing smile.

"Alright then, Chojiro," she said.

Chojiro smiled before motioning towards the chair in front of his desk in, which Retsu graciously took a seat in.

"So what brings you here Retsu?" asked Chojiro.

"I just wish to catch up with an old friend and see how he is holding up with his new promotion," said Retsu.

Chojiro laughed a pained laugh.

"Well, I'm certainly not enjoying all the paperwork," he chortled.

Retsu giggled a bit at that.

"Shouldn't you have expected that by now?" she asked.

"I did, doesn't mean I have to like it."

The two shared another laugh before Chojiro let out a heavy sigh.

"I don't know what to do, Retsu," said Chojiro, "I'm trying my best to fill his shoes, but these are pretty damn big shoes to fill."

Retsu nodded in understanding.

"Indeed they are, but you are Yamamoto-sensei's star pupil, I can't think of anyone else more suited to take this position in his place," said Retsu.

Chojiro shrugged.

"Maybe, but I'm sure there are plenty of younger, less conservative candidates out there better suited than an old windbag such as me," he muttered.

Retsu sighed.

"Chojiro, you can't continue lamenting about what could have been," she admonished, "And besides, Yamamoto-sensei had always seen you like the son he never had it is only natural he entrust you with this."

Chojiro placed his head on his hands suddenly feeling tired.

"I know… but what if… what if I can't follow through? What if…" he said as doubt started to surface as the position started to catch up to him even more.

Retsu's features softened exponentially at this before she reached up and gently grabbed Chojiro's hands and pulled them back to the desk and held them there. Chojiro remained looking at the desk.

"Chojiro," said Retsu.

Chojiro remained looking at the desk.

"Cho-kun, look at me."

The man slowly looked up at Retsu. It had been many years since Retsu had called him that in a time where everything was perfect. Retsu gave a small smile.

"Don't fall into a whirlpool of self doubt," she said, "Genryusai-sensei would not want to see you like this."

Chojiro took a deep breath and sighed before regaining his composure and looking back at Retsu with a professional air.

"Aa, thank you Retsu," he said, "I needed that."

Retsu then smiled again… although it wasn't the kind smile that he saw just a few minutes ago, it was… _that_ smile.

"It is a shame that that approach worked right away, if it didn't I would have turned to… other methods," she said with the same smile.

Chojiro shivered involuntarily at that. After coughing uncomfortably into his fist, Chojiro addressed Retsu again.

"W-Well, if there's nothing else, I think it best that we get back to work," said Chojiro.

Retsu nodded in agreement before getting up and walking towards the door, but before she proceeded to open it, she paused.

"Genryusai-sensei is doing well by the way," she said.

Chojiro looked up from his paperwork at that.

"I visited him at his home," Retsu continued, "He finally seems to be… relaxed, although it gets a little awkward when he tells me to call him 'Genryusai' instead of 'Yamamoto-sotaichou'."

Retsu turned her head slightly towards Chojiro.

"You should visit him from time to time," she suggested, "Perhaps it will help ease the stress."

Chojiro thought about this before smirking.

"Is that a doctor's order?" he jested.

Retsu smiled as well before proceeding out the door leaving Chojiro to his musings.

* * *

Rukia sighed in relief as she added the last of her paperwork to the ridiculously large stack before her.

_Honestly, what possessed me to want a position like this?_

Rukia already knew the answer to the question and was of course jesting, but still, the paperwork really tested her patience. More than Renji, and _that_ was saying something. Rukia sighed before she got up and stretched her aching muscles, compliments of bending over a desk too long, before making her way outside. Once outside Rukia couldn't help but take in her surroundings. Everything was peaceful and everybody was going around with his or her business like they had always done for many centuries. It was almost as if nothing had even happened, but Rukia knew better and she knew that a select few Shinigami knew as well. Rukia looked up at the spot where Ichigo had gallantly appeared along with his army of doppelgangers from a Garganta to save the current acting Captain Commander before taking the attacker, Sosuke Aizen back into Hueco Mundo with him where the fated battle happened. Rukia closed her eyes and sighed. Although duty prevented her from seeing the aftermath, she heard of what had happened from Yoruichi's report about the incident. Rukia remembered Yoruichi looking so disheveled the day she gave the report making many of the captains wondered about her health, but none voiced their concern, not even Soifon.

"Rukia?"

Rukia snapped out of her thoughts suddenly aware of the world around her. It seemed that her feet had taken her to the 6th Division. Renji was standing before her with a surprised look on his face.

"Rukia, what are you doing here?" asked Renji, "You seemed deep in thought."

Rukia rolled her eyes.

"Gee, I wonder what gave me away," answered Rukia sarcastically.

Renji glared at her.

"Well it's true!" he growled, "You were looking at the ground instead of looking where you were going, I'm surprised you didn't run into anybody or anything on the way over here!"

Rukia huffed.

"I'm not oblivious to the world like you are," said Rukia.

"WHAT?!" roared Renji in contempt.

"Abarai-fukutaichou."

Renji's face went from red to pale white as he spun around to find Byakuya standing there with his normal emotionless expression, although his eyes were a bit more narrow.

"T-Taichou!" Renji stuttered in panic.

"I do believe that you have paperwork that you need to be doing," said Byakuya without missing a beat.

Renji quickly bowed before sprinting off towards his office. Rukia let out a faint smile at her friend's antics before sensing her brother's eyes on her. Rukia sighed before turning to face her brother. His expression looked the same as it did with Renji, but Rukia saw how his eyes softened a bit upon looking at her.

"Rukia, is there something that you wish to discuss?" asked Byakuya.

Rukia didn't know how to respond for she really didn't have anything she wanted to discuss nor did she know why she came here… she just… came.

"A-ah… it's nothing Nee-sama I was just wandering around since I am done with paperwork so…" Rukia stopped short knowing that she was blabbing.

Rukia instead opted for bowing quickly before turning sharply and leaving inwardly cursing herself for her stupidity.

_That is that LAST time I ever leave my office for a simple walk!_

* * *

"Karin-nee! Tou-san! Breakfast is ready!"

Karin Kurosaki slowly opened her eyes at the sound of the youngest Kurosaki's voice. She groaned as the morning sunlight stung her eyes.

_Freaking sun… why the hell does it exist…_

Karin grunted as she pushed herself away from the comfort of her pillow and threw the blanket off her body. She then proceeded to do her normal morning routine, which took her to the bathroom… that was right in front of her brother's room. Karin stopped outside the bathroom her eyes boring holes into the door blocking the view of whatever lay within. It had been three years since the disappearance of her brother along with Katsumi and the family had been trying to make due since then… but it was never the same. Ichigo's disappearance from the family hit the family just as hard as the death of Masaki Kurosaki, the wife and mother of the family. Even the ever-joyful (and stupid) Isshin seemed a bit more mellowed out. He also seemed to leave the house more often than normal on "business trips", but Karin knew better. She knew that it most likely had something to do with Ichigo, but whenever she tried to confront him about it, he would simply change the subject leaving her even more frustrated that before. Yuzu tried to keep on moving like normal, but Karin knew that Yuzu was feeling the same pain that she was feeling. The family was all in all even more broken that it already was before.

"Oh! Breakfast looks delicious!" came Isshin's loud(ass) voice, albeit not as loud as before, "Karin! You simply must hurry so you can have you're sister's amazing cooking before I eat it all!"

Karin rolled her eyes at her father's antics. It seemed no matter what happened, Isshin would be a big buffoon of a father forever.

"OOOOIIIIII! I you don't wake up soon I'll give you the normal Kurosaki wake up call!" hollered Isshin.

Karin briefly got an image of her father pouncing her like he did with Ichigo ever morning he was here and shuttered at the very idea.

"Don't bother! I'm already awake Goat-chin!" Karin shouted back before she headed into the bathroom.

* * *

Kisuke grumbled as he did his assigned task. Currently he was sweeping the floor in front of his candy shop, which was a job that Jinta or Ururu usually did, but they were out shopping for groceries with Tessia leaving Kisuke to do all the tedious work.

"Aaaah, why do _I_ have to do all this work?" he complained to nobody.

"Oh? Urahara-san!"

Kisuke looked towards the source of the voice and saw that it was Orihime with Sado and Uryu walking at either side of her. Of course, he had sensed them coming for a while, but what's the fun of revealing that? Kisuke put his trusty fan in front of his mouth and smiled behind it.

"Why hello there! Have you come to visit little old me?" asked Kisuke.

"No really, we're here to know the pr-," started Uryu, but he cut himself off in favor of sighing when Kisuke was suddenly on the floor with his back facing the group with a raincloud over his head.

"A-Ah gomen Urahara-san!" apologized Orihime immediately, "It's always a great to see you!"

In a flash, Kisuke was up on his feet in his previous position and mood.

"Not a problem~!" sang Kisuke causing the group to face-fault… well Sado simply grunted cause that's just what he did.

When Uryu got back on his feet, he glared at Kisuke.

"As I was sayi-," started Uryu only to be interrupted again.

"Come, come! Let's bring this conversation inside!" said Kisuke before turning and walking into the candy shop.

Sado and Orihime looked at one another before shrugging and following the shopkeeper while Uryu's brow twitched in aggravation. Kisuke led the group into the meeting room at the back of the shop and suppressed a giggle when he saw their surprised faces in seeing tea already set up for all of them.

"You knew we were coming?" asked Orihime in amazement.

Kisuke waved his hand in a dismissive manner.

"Well you all come so often I figured I best be prepared!" he said.

"Right… and that's why there's already tea in the cups just warm enough to drink," muttered Uryu before taking a seat prompting the other two to do the same.

Kisuke took a seat as well before putting his fan back into his shirt with a sigh suddenly feeling burdened.

"We still have not made any progress on his memory," said Kisuke.

Immediately the atmosphere turned gloomy. Everybody knew whom the "he" that Kisuke was referring to. Orihime's hopeful face immediately turned downcast.

"Kurosaki-kun only remembers his own name because we told it to him," continued Kisuke, "The same goes for his bodies."

"Has there been any hint of his reiatsu returning?" asked Uryu.

Kisuke shook his head gravely. Orihime bit her lip before speaking up.

"Are… are the Arrancar…" started Orihime.

"Don't worry, the Arrancar have not laid a finger on Kurosaki-kun or any of his bodies," answered Kisuke drawing a breath of relief from Orihime.

There was silence for a little while before Orihime spoke up again.

"Is… Shihoin-san doing okay?" she asked.

Kisuke thought he sensed a bit of resentment in her voice, but he wasn't really surprised as he knew from the beginning of her feelings for Ichigo and also saw her reaction to Yoruichi holding Ichigo's hand at Hueco Mundo.

"Oh… we're… eh…" Kisuke said tugging at his collar, "We're not really on talking terms."

Suddenly the subject of their conversation walked by the meeting room in her human form. All eyes turned to her as she stopped fiddling with the orange shirt that went with her normal attire. Yoruichi then flipped her ponytail out so that it hung freely. She almost seemed to ignore the group staring at her until Kisuke decided that he had to speak up.

"Ah! Speak of the devil!" said Kisuke suddenly happy again, "Yoruichi-san how-."

Yoruichi turned her golden eyes upon Kisuke and he immediately shut himself up. There was no visible glare on Yoruichi's face, in fact, there didn't seem to be an expression at all, just a cold gaze that mirrored Byakuya's normal expression. Even Sado had a hard time suppressing a shiver under that cold gaze. Yoruichi continued to stare before spinning on her heel and walking out of the shop. Only when the door closed behind her and they were sure that the woman was gone, did Orihime open her mouth to speak.

"Where is she going?" asked Orihime.

Kisuke took a deep breath before taking out his fan again.

"I don't know, she goes off to do some private business as she usually does," said Kisuke perfectly masking his prior discomfort.

Uryu blinked.

"And you don't know what that business is?" asked Uryu, "Isn't she your friend?"

"Oh Yoruichi-san has always been secretive of her life in the past, even from me," said Kisuke, "The only one she really opened up to was..."

Kisuke immediately stopped himself from finishing the sentence and instead waved his hand in front of his face.

"But that's not important~!" he sang causing the group to sweat drop.

Kisuke then sighed.

"Besides, I think nowadays I wouldn't necessarily be on her 'friend's list' anymore," he muttered.

Orihime cocked her head at that.

"What do you mean Urahara-san?" she asked.

Kisuke looked at Orihime with a mask of indifference that covered up the true shame that he felt.

"Let's just say that if it weren't for my vast knowledge being essential for possibly bringing Ichigo back to normal… I'd probably be dead."

* * *

When the moon rose above Soul Society, the activity drastically decreased as people headed indoors to call it a day. The only ones left walking the streets were the sentries who carried on their duty with precision, but it didn't mean that they had to like it.

"Man… why the hell do we have to do this?" muttered one of the sentries rubbing his face tiredly with a slumped posture as he walked down the street.

His partner looked at him with a knowing glance.

"Complaining won't make the job any easier," he said, "Just focus on getting through it and things will go along a lot faster, trust me."

The first sentry sighed heavily when suddenly he tensed up with his back straight as did the other.

"Did you hear that?" asked the first sentry.

His partner nodded his hand going to his Zanpakuto. The two split up in search of the maker of the sound. The first sentry walked slowly towards an alleyway sliding his Zanpakuto out of its sheath as he continued. He cautiously peaked his head around the corner to look into the alleyway sensing for any odd reiatsu signatures, but found none nor did he see anything. The sentry sighed before sheathing his Zanpakuto again.

"Must have been my imagination," he called to his partner, "You didn't happen to find anything did you?"

Nobody answered. The first sentry blinked and turned around looking for his partner.

"Oi, you aren't ditching me are you?" he asked in annoyance as he walked towards the alleyway his partner took continuing on, "If this is another prank I'm seriously going to k-."

The sentry's words died on his throat when his eyes beheld a gruesome sight. On the floor was his partner lying in a pool of his own blood staring with sightless eyes at the sky, his mouth wide open.

"N-nani?" stuttered the sentry in shock.

Suddenly a shadow fell over him causing him to turn and gulp in fear. Standing there before him was a cloaked figure clad in all black making the figure all the more intimidating and mysterious. The figure was holding a Zanpakuto out of its sheath already drenched in the sentry's partner's blood. The sentry immediately drew his Zanpakuto, but was shocked when a simple look from the figure caused the Zanpakuto to shatter in front of his eyes. Now defenseless, the sentry backed away from the figure with fear evident in his eyes.

"No…" he whispered in fear.

The figure followed the sentry into the alleyway slowly.

"No," said the sentry a bit louder.

The figure slowly raised its Zanpakuto.

"NO!" he screamed.

Blood splattered across the walls as the man's cry was cut off.


End file.
